Reed suitable for use in the shedding mechanism of circular looms



E. KINSELLA REED SUITABLE FOR USE IN THE SHEDDING MECHANISM OF CIRCULARLOOMS 2 Sheet s 1 Filed June 2 1959 F/G. 3 ab abc-d i/veg Feb. 11, 1941.E. KlNSELL-A' REED SUITABLE FOR USE IN THE SHEDDING MECHANISM OFCIRCULAR LOOMS 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1959 FIG. 6

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 REED SUITABLE FOR USE IN THE SHEDDING MECHANISMOF CIRCULAR LOOMS Edward Kinsella, Spondon, near Derby, England,assignor to Celanese Corporation ofAmerica, a corporation of DelawareApplication June 2, 1939, Serial No. 276,990 In Great Britain June 14,1938 4 Claims.

This invention relates to reeds suitable for use in the sheddingmechanism of circular looms. The invention is particularly concernedwith shedding mechanism of the type in whicha reed with perforated dentsis used to control the warp threads, some of the threads passing throughthe dent perforations, and the others passing between the dents so thatby deflecting the warp threads at one side of the reed from their normal(unshedded) position, separation of the warp threads into two sheets iseffected at the other side of the reed to permit the entry of theshuttle. This separation arises because those threads which pass throughthe dent perforations remain undeflected on the shuttle side of thereed, whereas the other threads (free threads) are free to move betweenthe dents. i

According to the present invention, a reed comprises a plurality ofdents perforated for the insertion ofthreads and spacedapart from eachother in the lengthwise direction of the reed to allow of the freepassage of threads between the dents, the perforated portions ofdifferent dents being spaced apart from each other in the generaldirection in which the threads pass through the reed. With thisconstruction more space is provided for thepassage between the'dents ofthe warp threads which are not entered through the perforations, andfreer shedding results,which is of particular importance with reedsdesigned for high warp density, for example of the order of 100, orthreads to the inch or upwards.

Conveniently, the dents have. portions of their length containing theperforations curved out of the general plane of the reed, and, in orderto preserve fully the freedom of movement of the free threads, theamount of curvature of the dents should be such that a gap existsbetween the opposed edges of the oppositely curved dents.

There is then no possibility that in trying to pass the portions of thedents in which the. perforations are formed a free thread can be trappedby engagement on one side with a thread entered in one dent and on theother by a thread in the adjacent dent since the perforations inadjacent dents are at a different level. Thus, in its simplest form, thereed according to the invention comprises identical curved dentsarranged so that alternate dents are curved in opposite directions outof the plane of the reed, the amounts of curvature of each dent beingsomewhat in excess of half the width of the dent, so as to provide a gapbetween the opposed edges of the dents. Such a reed provides for plainshedding equivalent to that obtained with a reed in which all the dentsare arranged in a single plane with alternate threads entered in theperforations and passing between the dents respectively. At the sametime the separation of the dents into two levelsdoes not interferematerially with the ease of entering the warps, and the unitarystructure of the reed provides for rigidity, compactness in the loom,and ease of mounting.

The reed may be built as a single circular structure or in arcuatesections of say 4, 6 or8 in number, but advantageously the dents may beassembled in small sections capable of being secured to circular membersto build up the complete circular reed. Such sectional constructionenables accurate spacing of the dents to be effected.

The sections may be assembled into units extending over a substantialfraction of the loom circumference equivalent to the space covered bythewarp threads of one of the several beams of the loom. These units maybe arranged to be readily removed from and replaced in the looms so thatwarps may be entered away from the looms,thus requiring the minimumdelay in fitting new. warps when the previous supply is exhausted.

One form of reed according to the invention will now be described ingreater detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawingsin which Fig. 1 is a plan view of part of the reed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of part of the reed shown in Fig. 1taken on the line 2-2;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing thedispositions of the Warp threads in the reed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section similar to that shown in Fig. 3, butshowing a method of entering the warp threads;

Fig. 5 is a partial end view of Fig. 4 viewed in the direction of thearrow but showing the entering tool in a different position; and

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are partsections of a circular loom, employing areed according to the inventiomand show four stages in the weavingcycle, the loom being of the same general type as that described in U.S. Patent No. 2,080,772 to which reference may be made for details notdescribed in this specification.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 a reed is illustrated which is .built up froma plurality of arcuate'sections l which together form a complete reed ofcircular form. The sections l are identical in construction and forpurposes of describing the construction of the reed itself it is onlynecessary to consider one section.

Each section I consists of a number of dents 2 equal to one-half thenumber of warp threads required to be entered in the part of thecircumference covered by the section. The dents 2 are formed from thinsteel strips of about A" in width, the thickness of the dents beingsmall so as to provide for the maximum amount of space between the dentsfor thread movement, and also to provide flexibility in the dents forease in thread entry. The dents ,2 are curved out of the general planeof the reed section, are identical in shape, and are arranged so thatalternate dents are curved in opposite directions over a portion oftheir length containing the perforations, the amount of curvature ofeach dent being about equal to the width of the dent so as to provide agap between the opposed edges of the oppositely curved dents, and theradius of curvature of the dents is large enough to allow the gapbetween the opposed edges of the dents to extend over a substantial partof the length of the dents. Each dent 2 is provided at its centre withan elongated perforation 3 extending transverse to the length of thedent. The edges of the perforations 3 as well as the edges of the dentsthemselves are smoothed to remove any sharpness to avoid damage to thewarp threads passing through the perforations 3 or between the dents 2.

The dents 2 are assembled in slightly diverging form with theirperforations 3 lying in an arc of a circle of radius corresponding tothe weaving radius of the loom for which the reed is intended. Therequisite spacing of the dents is obtained by fitting, towards the innerand outer ends of the section, coiled springs 41 and 5 respectively, theupper edges of the dents 2 being inserted between the coils of one pairof springs 4 and 5 and the lower edges being inserted between the coilsof another pair of springs 4 and 5. The pitch of the springs 5 isgreater than that of the springs 4 by an amount necessary to bring eachdent 2 into truly radial position, and for the 45' same reason, thegauge of the wires from which the springs 4 and 5 are made correspondsto the respective spaces between the dents at the radii at which thesprings are fitted. At the inner end of the section, a steel plate 6, ofa depth equal to 50 the depth of the dents 2, abuts the ends of thedents, and two thin steel clamping members 1 extending from the plate 8over the ends of the dents 2' to the springs are provided, the dents 2,springs 4, plate .3 and the two clamping members I all being securedtogether by solder indicated at 2. which is run in between the dents 2,springs 4, plate 6 and clamping members i, the end of the dents beingshaped as shown at Ill and provided with anchor holes H to provideadditional keys 0 for the solder. Solder 9 similarly secures the dents 2and springs 5 at the outer end of the section. Each section is secured,by means of screws i2 passing through holes iii in the plate 5 andclamping members 7, to a spider It by which the assembled reed is heldin position in the loom, the radial edges of the soldered section beingmachined for accurate assembly of the sections to form the completereed.

By curving alternate dents 2 in opposite direc- 70 tions, the portionsof the dents carrying the perforations 3 may be looked upon as twoseparate banks of dents with the dents of the lower bank opposite thespaces between the dents of the upper bank and vice versa, as shown inFig. 3. Threads 75 a are entered through the perforations 3 of the dents2 in the upper bank and pass freely between adjacent dents 2 in thelower bank, while threads 0 pass freely between adjacent dents in theupper bank and are entered in the perforations 3 of the dents in thelower bank. Threads 1) and (2 pass freely between the dents in bothbanks. Taking the reed as a whole, the threads are entered as follows;thread a is entered in the perforation 3 of the first dent (upper bank),thread b passes freely between the first and second (lower bank) dents,thread 0 is entered in the perforation of the second (lower bank) dentand thread (1 passes freely between the second and third (upper bank;dents, this order being repeated throughout. This arrangement of reeddents provides for plain shedding equivalent to that obtained with areed inwhich the same number of dentsare arranged in a single plane withalternate threads entered in theperforations and passing between thedents respectively, with the advantage that more space is available forthe shedding movement of the free threads.

As shown in Fig. 4, the threads are entered in the perforations 3 of thedents 2', by means of a tool l5 consisting of four prongs I 6 eachterminat-' ing in a, hook H. The prongs iii are cranked at 18sufiiciently for the prongs to extend from one side of the dents 2through the perforations 3 to the other side of the dents, the prongsbeing flexible so that they can be sprung into position (aided by theflexibility of the dents) as shown in Fig. 4, and pushed completelythrough the reed until the hooks I! are clear of the dents 2 as shown inFig. 5. With threads engaged in the hooks- I? the tool is then drawnback through the reed, the cranked portions I8 of the prongs againspringing from one side of the dent-s 2 to the other through theperforations 3 drawing the threads through the perforations of the dentsin the upper bank and through the space between the dents in the lowerbank. Threads are entered through the perforations 3 of the dents 2 inthe lower bank in a similar manner.

Threads passing between the dents in each bank are entered by a tool E9of similar construction to the tool IE, but in this case, the prongs arestraight, the tool being entered between the appropriate dents 2 and thethreads drawn straight through the spaces between the dents in bothbanks.

Referring to Figs. 6-9, a reed 2!), built up of a number of the sectionsdescribed above, is shown in the position which it occupies in thecircular loom. Fig. 6 shows the normal line that the warps follow inpassing from the warp supply to the fell 2| of the fabric being woven,the fabric being supported by a ring 22. The warp threads are enteredalternately through the perforations 3 of the dents 2 and between thedents, in the order a b c (1 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. '7 shows the positionof the warp threads upon passage of an outer shedding wheel 23 whichurges the whole of the warp threads towards the axis of the loom. Thethreads at and c by reason of their engagement with the perforations 3of the dents 2' are prevented, onthe shuttle side of the reed, frompartaking of the shedding movement imparted to the warp sheet on theopposite side of the reed by the shedding wheel 23, while the threads 12and d, which are not entered in the perforations 3, are free to movebetween the dents 2 to the full extent of the shedding movement. Thewarp sheet is thus divided into two sheets a c and b d sufiici ently farapart to permit the entry of the nose 24 of the shuttle 25 which passesinto the sheet and completes the shedding operation, as shown in. Fig.8.

Fig. 9 shows the shedding of the warp threads for the next succeedingshuttle 2'6. In this case the whole of the warps are urged away from the100m axis by an inner shedding wheel 2'! in a similar manner to theshedding operation shown in Fig. 7, the threads b (1 now being on theopposite side of the threads or c for the passage of the 1" next pick ofweft from the shuttle 26.

As explained above, the warp sheet is urged first to one side of thenormal line shown in Fig. 6, to provide a shed for the entry of oneshuttle (Figs. 7 and 8), then to the other side to provide a shed forthe entry of the next shuttle (Fig. 9), and so on throughout the weavingoperation, the warp sheet being urged to alternate sides of the normalline for alternate weft picks. Taking the shedding position shown inFig. 7, it will be seen that threads b d have moved inwardly from thenormal position under the influence of the shedding wheel 23, which isdisposed slightly in advance of the shuttle 25 and moves round the loomat the same speed as the shuttle, and now take a line extending from thetip of the shedding wheel 23 to the fell 2| of the fabric being woven,the line passing through the reed 28 at a point m. At this stage, thenose 24 of the shuttle 25 is just entering the shed which is thencompleted by the shuttle 25 itself as shown in Fig. 8, the sheddingwheel 23 having passed on to prepare for the further I penetration ofthe nose 24 of the shuttle 25- into the warp shed which is formedcontinuously in advance of the shuttle 25.

After the passage of the shuttle 25 the warp sheet is urged outwardly bythe shedding wheel 27 which, like shedding wheel 23, is disposed,

slightly in advance of its shuttle 26 and moves round the loom atshuttle speed to prepare the warp threads for the entry of the shuttle26. As in the previous shedding operation, the threads d are the onlyones to move on the shuttle side of the reed 20, the threads at aremaining in their normal line from the reed downwards because of theirengagement with the perforations 3 of the dents 2. In this case, thethreads b d as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 9, take up a similar lineto that shown in Fig. 7 but on the opposite side of the threads a c, thethreads I) at now extending from the tip of the shedding wheel 21,through the reed 20 at the point y, to the fell 2| of the fabric beingwoven. The shed is then completed by the shuttle 26 as shown in Fig. 9.

It will be observed that the points a: and y in the reed 20 are thefarthest points to which the threads 12- d move during shedding. Sincethese points are within the gap existing between the and y can be lookedupon as two separate banks of oppositely curved dents 2, the density ofthe dents in each bank being equal to half the density of the dents inthe reed 26 as a whole. The space between adjacent dents 2 in each bank,therefore, is much increased as compared with the space between adjalentdents 2 in the part of the reed where the oppositely curved dents cometogether, with the result that more space is provided for the passage ofthreads between the dents than would be provided if all the dents werein a single plane. It will be clear, therefore, that, with thisconstruction, much higher warp densities can be obtained than with reedsin which the dents are all in a single plane.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

l. A reed for the shedding mechanism of a circular loom, said reedcomprising a plurality of radial dents formed of strips perforated forthe insertion of threads and spaced apart in fixed circumferentialrelationship to allow of the free passage of threads in a radialdirection between the dents, the inner and outer ends .of all the dentslying in the general plane of the reed and the perforated portions ofdifferent dents being spaced apart from each other in the generaldirection in which the threads pass through the reed.

2. A reed for the shedding mechanism of a circular loom, said reedcomprising a plurality of radial dents formed of strips perforated forthe insertion of threadsand spaced apart in fixed circumferentialrelationship to allow of the free passage of threads in a radialdirection between the dents, alternate dents having the perforatedportions of their length curved alternately in opposite directions outof the general plane of the reed to such an extent that a gap existsbetween the opposed edges of the oppositely curved dents.

3. A reed for the shedding mechanism of a circular loom, said reedcomprising a plurality of arcuate sections each consisting of aplurality of radial dents formed of strips perforated for the insertionof threads and spaced apart in fixed circumferential relationship toallow of the free passage of threads in a radial direction between thedents, the perforated portions of different dents being spaced apartfrom each other in the general direction in which the threads passthrough the reed, a common supporting ring, and means to secure thearcuate sections to the supporting ring to form a continuous circularreed.

4. A reed according to claim 3, wherein each radial section has itsdents soldered to a plate by which the section is secured to thesupporting ring.

EDWARD KINSELLA.

